10-year action plan of the Cocoa, Forests and Peace Initiative taking shape in Colombia

The Initiative’s Technical Secretariat is creating a 10-year action plan by consolidating more than 250 in-depth interviews that have been conducted in the country’s cocoa regions. The outcome of the interviews will help the Cocoa, Forests and Peace Initiative evaluate the perspectives of the different actors in the cocoa value chain, as well as challenges and opportunities for the sector. 17 municipalities were visited in the regions of Caquetá, Guaviare, Alto Córdoba, Bajo Cauca, Arauca, Santander and Tumaco. Interviewers spoke to more than 23 associations and 85 producers.

The Technical Secretariat is being organized by Alisos. Alisos was created in 2010 to promote multi-sector dialogue, and sustainable development in Latin America. Their headquarters is in Colombia.

The Cocoa Working Group of the Alliance Productive and Sustainable AgroColombia has been integrated into to the Cocoa, Forests and Peace Initiative, in order to form a single space for sectoral dialogue towards sustainable production and trade of cocoa.

The Cocoa, Forests and Peace Initiative is planning to host a High-Level Meeting on Cocoa for Colombia on May 6th, prior to the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 Annual Meeting that will take place in Bogotá. Some of the main chocolate companies are invited to join and share their experience in addressing cocoa-related deforestation.

Background

The Cocoa, Forests and Peace Initiative was launched on 17 July 2018, with the signature of a Framework for Action by the Government of Colombia, the cocoa industry (Casa Luker), the national union Fedecacao, IDH and the World Resources Institute, amongst others. The Initiative aims to end deforestation and promote the protection and restoration of forests in the cocoa supply chain in Colombia, in the context of the peace process in the country. Cocoa has been identified as one of the key alternatives to illegal crops, which the new government is committed to promoting under the peace agreement signed in 2016.